MUTHAURA FINALLY GOES ON LEAVE

Monday, 02 May 2011 00:01 BY STAR REPORTER

DRAINED: Muthaura quenches his thirst when he appeared before a parliamentary committee recently.

The Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet has for the first time in many years taken leave from his official work. Muthaura wrote to all permanent secretaries and Cabinet ministers last week informing them of his decision to take leave from work for two weeks. “I will be on leave from April 26^th for two weeks,” said part of Muthaura’s letter seen by the Star.
Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno declined to comment on suggestions that he was suffering from stress caused by the crimes against humanity charges that Muthaura and six others are facing.
Dalmas confirmed that Muthaura had taken leave but insisted that there was nothing strange about it. “He is human just like anyone and has taken his normal leave. There is no cause for panic because he has left capable people in charge and in any case he will be back in two weeks," said Dalmas.
In Muthaura's absence, he has delegated the permanent secretary in the Office of the President, Francis Kimemia to deal with all issues related to the civil service while Sam Mwale will take charge of Cabinet affairs.
Muthaura, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Postmaster General Hussein Ali, suspended minister William Ruto, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey andradio journalist Joshua arap Sang are facing charges at the International Criminal Court.
Muthaura is accused of leading secret meetings in State House where revenge attacks against supporters of the then opposition were planned. The ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo claims Muthaura authorized the use of excessive force against protesters by the police.
Two months ago Muthaura was taped by two people posing as students who had gone to see him to seek his support in disrupting a tour that Prime Minister Raila Odinga was scheduled to address in Meru district. The 'students' claimed Muthaura admitted on tape to being involved in the post-election violence. These claims were swiftly dismissed by Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua as well as Muthaura who claimed the tape had been doctored.
There has been growing clamour for Muthaura and the other two public servants—Uhuru and Hussein— to leave office pending the decision by the ICC on whether to charge them with the crimes they are suspected of committing.
Muthaura has come under increasing pressure to resign or step down as his continued stay in office as a member of the national security committing was likely to give him access to information that would jeopardise or influence the outcome of the case against him and the other suspects.
Close associates as well staff at Muthaura's office said he has not been himself since he was named a suspect by Ocampo.The said he seemed to have lost interest in his work and this became more obvious when he and the other suspects made their initial appearances before the ICC last month. “His family has also been very concerned with his situation and some of his family members actually asked him to take some days off to rest and reflect on his case and future,” said a senior official at Harambee House who is known to be close to Muthaura but who cannot be identified as he was betraying a confidence.
The last time Muthaura was on leave was in July last year when he was admitted at the Nairobi hospital for a heart problem and on his return from South Africa where he went for treatment. He resumed work a month later amid speculation that he was planning to retire.
 Muthaura, who is way past the civil servant retirement age of 55, has previously said that he was willing to leave office but President Kibaki had always prevailed on him to stay. “The President trusts him a lot and even approving his leave was not easy. It took him a number of days to convince the  President that he had to go on leave,” said an official at State House
Muthaura was widely expected to leave the civil service in 2003 when President Kibaki assumed office but the President promoted him to the powerful position despite the fact that he had served the much maligned Kanu regime.
After the disputed 2007 elections Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his ODM brigade wanted him removed from office accusing Muthaura of frustrating the ODM side of the coalition government.
In March 2008, Muthaura stirred controversy by saying that Kibaki would remain both head of state and head of government after the establishment of the coalition government. His interpretation of the agreement meant that the PM would have less power than the ODM  had anticipated.
Muthaura began his career in the public service in 1972 when he joined central government as a district officer in the coast region after graduating from the University of Nairobi.
He later joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973 and was promptly posted to the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and participated in the negotiations that lead to the establishment of the UN Habitat in Nairobi and initiated the resolution which lead to the holding of a UN Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy in Nairobi in 1981.
He has previously served as deputy head of mission in Kenya's High Commission in London and as Kenya's ambassador to the European Economic Community in early 1988.